City of Las Vegas officials are urging San Miguel County to reconsider its plan to increase the gross receipts tax throughout the county by a quarter cent.

The issue took center stage at a special City Council meeting on Wednesday where County Manager Les Montoya and county Finance Supervisor Melinda Gonzales discussed the planned increase with city leaders. San Miguel County commissioners had also been invited to attend the meeting but were unable to make it.

If you feel as if there are fewer people in San Miguel County than in previous years, you’re not imagining things.

New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday confirm that the population in San Miguel County is shrinking.

There were 384 fewer people living in the county in July 2014 than in July 2013, a population decrease of 1.3 percent. From April 2010 to July of 2014, San Miguel County has lost an estimated 1,154 residents.

A public forum March 30 will explore more opportunities for Highlands University students to contribute to the Las Vegas community.

The forum will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Charlie’s Bakery & Cafe. Light refreshments will be served.

The forum is part of Highlands Vision 2020 — the university’s five-year strategic planning initiative aimed at increasing enrollment and strengthening its partnership with Las Vegas and the surrounding communities.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a video recorded 19 days before Brittany Maynard took life-ending drugs, she tells California lawmakers that no one should have to leave home to legally kill themselves under the care of a doctor.

SANTA FE — A slew of measures that sought to shine more light on the inner workings of government in New Mexico ended up as casualties of the just-ended legislative session, leaving watchdog groups disappointed that the call for transparency was largely ignored.

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Legislature’s failure to bolster the state’s Legislative Lottery Scholarship program’s financial underpinnings has students and higher education institutions bracing for cutbacks.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the lack of action during the legislative session that ended Saturday spells trouble for the in-state tuition assistance for university and college students.